BEIJING (Sept 16): At least six people died and six are missing as Typhoon Meranti, the strongest storm in the world this year, passed through China.

The storm, which earlier killed one person and injured several in Taiwan, claimed three lives and left four people missing in China’s Fujian province as of Thursday afternoon. In Zhejiang three people died and two were missing, according to the province’s civil affairs bureau. The storm was the hardest to hit the southern Fujian province since 1949, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.

The typhoon made landfall in Xiamen at 3:05 a.m. local time on Thursday, battering the port city with strong winds and torrential rains. Meranti also affected Jiangsu province. Markets in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are closed Friday for the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.

The typhoon is weakening as of Friday morning, while heavy rains are still expected, according to China Meteorological Administration. Another storm is heading toward Taiwan. The island issued a land warning as Typhoon Malakas approached, the Central Weather Bureau said in a statement on its website.